Napster clones warned after copyright decision

Record bosses in the US are warning websites offering Napster-like services they could be charged with copyright offences.

The Record Industry Association of America has written to internet service providers with the warning.

An RIAA spokesman says ISPs can be charged if they let users trade copyrighted music files through their service.

The moves comes after a US federal court ruled that Napster must stop trading in copyright material.

RIAA lawyer Cary Sherman says action against the so-called Open Napster movement has been made possible by the ruling.

Members of the movement use software that mimics Napster but they're hard to police because, unlike Napster, they don't need a central computer for music sharing.

On 2 March, a federal judge in San Francisco is due to hear legal arguments before issuing an injunction to stop Napster from offering copyrighted songs.

Napster has asked for a review of the decision holding it liable for copyright infringement, the BBC reports.

The RIAA represents the world's biggest record labels, including Vivendi Universal's Universal Music, Sony Music Warner Music, EMI Group Plc and Bertelsmann's AG BMG.